Quantitative mast cell analysis and hormone receptor study (ER, PR and HER2/neu) in invasive carcinoma of breast.

CONTEXT: Breast cancer constitutes nearly one third of cancers among women. Immune responses caused by neoplastic cells lead to the accumulation of inflammatory cells like mast cells (MCs), macrophages, lymphocytes, and plasma cells around the tumor tissue forming the tumor microenvironment. AIM: The study aims at quantifying the role of MCs in different grades of invasive carcinoma of breast with respect to estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2/neu). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 60 cases of invasive carcinoma of breast. Toluidine blue staining was used for quantitative MC analysis and correlated with immunohistochemistry analysis for hormonal markers' positivity-ER, PR and HER2/neu. RESULTS: The mean age was 52 years (range: 25-75 years). The average number of MCs in Grade I, II, and III were 24.05, 18.4, and 7.9, respectively, with a significant P value. ER, PR, and HER2/neu positivity was found in 60%, 55%, and 32% of the cases, respectively. ER positivity with mean MC count of 23.55 was found in 36 cases, and 33 cases were positive for PR with a mean MC count of 24.18 and a significant P value. HER2 positive cases were 28 with a mean MC count of 20.82. CONCLUSION: The presence of MCs in breast cancer is inversely proportional to the grade of tumor, i.e., a maximum number of MCs were seen in low grade tumors. In addition, there is a positive correlation between ER and PR receptor positivity with the presence of MCs in the stroma of breast cancer.

Steroid Cell Tumor of the Ovary - A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature.

Steroid cell tumors of the ovary are extremely rare, accounting for only 0.1% of all ovarian tumors. Most steroid cell tumors secrete steroid hormones, and only about 10%-15% of patients are asymptomatic. The clinical presentation may take many forms, including abdominal pain, distention, irregular menstrual cycles, and hirsutism. Here, we present a case of a 60-year-old postmenopausal patient who presented with complaints of bleeding per vagina and abdominal pain for 4 months. Ultrasonography (USG) revealed a hypoechoic left adnexal mass measuring 65 mm × 40 mm × 30 mm. Based on these USG findings, the diagnosis of cystic lesion of the left ovary was made. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was done, and the specimen was sent for histopathological analysis. On histopathology, diagnosis of steroid cell tumor-not otherwise specified was offered. This case is reported due to its rarity and its unusual presentation, together with a brief review of the literature of the same.